Trolley basket for self-service shop

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a trolley basket for self-service shop comprising a base, a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls on the right and on the left, said basket being characterised in that the front part includes: a lower wall co-operating through translational guide means ( 11 ) with the base ( 5 ) of the rear part; slender elements ( 14 A) which, forming two parallel lateral sides, have their proximal ends guided in translation with the side wall ( 8 ) concerned and their other distal ends curved in the plane of the front wall to co-operate with translational guide means ( 13 ) borne by a support ( 12 ), thereby forming the front wall.

[0001] The invention relates to a basket for a self-service store shopping cart.

[0002] Conventionally, a cart used in self-service stores comprises a chassis, equipped with wheels, which supports a basket.

[0003] This basket is obtained from wires that are shaped, and in particular, welded to one another so as to delimit a bottom, a front wall, a rear wall and the two left and right side walls of the basket.

[0004] In order to allow the carts to nest inside one another, particularly in order to store them behind one other, the basket has a cross-section that, from the front wall to the rear wall, steadily increases.

[0005] Thus, from the front wall, the two side walls diverge and increase in height, and the bottom descends toward the rear.

[0006] Thus, seen from above, the basket has the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, the large base of which is formed by the rear wall.

[0007] Seen from the side, the basket also has a trapezoidal shape.

[0008] Such a shape is comparable to a truncated pyramid.

[0009] The top part of the rear wall is articulated so that the front end of a second cart coming into contact with the rear wall of this cart progressively swings this rear wall toward the front, thus allowing the nesting of the carts.

[0010] Arrangements for the nesting of the chassis are also used.

[0011] Nowadays, many self-service stores offer three sizes of carts; thus, the user chooses the cart he thinks is best adapted to his current needs.

[0012] The carts must be arranged by size, which is a limitation for the users.

[0013] Since it is not unusual for the choice of a small cart to prove inappropriate, carts having a variable basket volume have been made.

[0014] To modify a cart's capacity, it is known to equip its front face with an additional basket.

[0015] The latter is, for example, pivot-mounted around an axis of rotation.

[0016] Such a solution is not very practical to use.

[0017] The subject of the invention is a basket for a self-service store shopping cart, which basket, of variable volume, comprises a bottom, a front wall, a rear wall, and two left and right side walls, with a vertical cross-section that, from the front wall to the rear wall, increases along the two main axes, this basket comprising two parts, a fixed

[0018] Thus, seen from the top, the basket has the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, the large base of which is formed by the rear wall.

[0019] The volume of the basket is adjustable, and to this end, the basket comprises two parts, a fixed rear part 4A and a movable front part 4B.

[0020] According to one characteristic of the invention, the front part comprises:

[0021] a lower wall 10 formed essentially of slender elements 10A extending along the longitudinal axis of the basket, which cooperate via means for translational guidance 11 along the longitudinal axis of the basket with the bottom 5 of the rear part,

[0022] continuing this lower wall 10 so as to extend in the plane of the front wall 6, a support 12 bearing means for translational guidance 13 along a horizontal axis parallel to the front wall,

[0023] slender elements 14A forming two lateral sides 14, each parallel to a side wall 8 of the rear part 4A, which have their so-called proximal ends guided in translation with the side wall 8 in question and their other, so-called distal ends bent in the plane of the front wall so as to cooperate with the translational guide means 13 borne by the support 12, thereby forming the front wall.

[0024] The support 12 is, for example, formed from elements 10A that are bent upward.

[0025] The guide means 13 borne by the support are, for example, constituted by tubes 13 open at both ends, into which the bent parts of the lateral sides are inserted.

[0026] These guide means 13 also constitute crosspieces for maintaining the required separation of the slender elements 10A and giving the basket, particularly its front part, sufficient rigidity.

[0027] This technical arrangement allows the lateral sides 14 of the front part to remain constantly parallel to the lateral walls 8 during the movement of the front part, due to the automatic adjustment of the width of the front face when these lateral sides slide parallel to the side walls.

[0028]FIG. 2 represents the movements of the various elements.

[0029] It includes means for adjusting the width of the front wall.

[0030] In essence, as the front wall moves away from the rear wall, due to the fact that the side walls are not parallel, the width of this front wall must be adjusted during the movement.

[0031] If this were not the case, the side walls would not remain flat, but would bend, and would not be able to return to the initial position.

[0032] The axes of the means for guiding the lateral sides and of the means for guiding the lower wall are parallel to one another, and are preferably parallel to the bottom.

[0033] The means 11, 13 for translationally guiding 11, 13 the side walls and/or the lower wall are also preferably, though not exclusively, tubes.

[0034] These tubes constitute, for example, a portion of the structure of the basket or are attached to either the inner or the outer face of the rear part.

[0035] In the case of the bottom, the tubes are housed inside the existing frame so as not to take up unnecessary space.

[0036] The tube has a circular, oval or polygonal cross-section.

[0037] Inside the tubes, it is possible to provide one or more races for improving the sliding motion.

[0038] Instead of tubes, it is possible to use slides, but of smaller thickness.

[0039] Quite clearly, there are stops that limit the relative movement of the three parts constituting the front of the cart.

[0040] In one embodiment (FIG. 1), the front part is attached to an existing cart and therefore has means for joining to the structure of the cart.

[0041] To this end, the means for translationally guiding the lower wall and the lateral sides are attached by fastening means 16 to the corresponding faces of the cart.

[0042] For example, the guide tubes are supported by support plates attached by welding or clamping onto the wires constituting the existing cart, or these tubes are directly attached to the sides by welding.

[0043] It is important for the cart equipped with this basket to be able to nest inside another cart, and the aforementioned arrangements make that possible.

[0044] Advantageously, the support 12 that extends the lower wall has on its top edge a rounded surface that extends at least partially along this edge in order to push away the rear wall of another cart during nesting.

[0045] It is possible to provide, on the support, a front plate for receiving an advertising placard.

[0046] The size of this plate would be at most equal to the size of the front surface when the front part is farthest away from the rear part.

[0047] In a variant of embodiment (FIG. 3), the support 12 is a plate made of synthetic material to which the ends of the elements 10A, which can be curved, are attached, for example by snapping.

[0048] This support 12 has corner pieces 17 in the form of angles that prevent the side walls, and hence the distal ends that cooperate with the guide means 13, from coming apart accidentally.

[0049] To prevent children from getting their fingers caught, the support 12 has stops 18 facing the rear of the cart so as to create a space between the support 12 and the front wall 6 when the front basket is attached to an existing cart.

[0050] These stops 18 are not necessary when the support 12 directly constitutes the front wall.

[0051] On existing carts, the movable front part is attached to the existing cart by means of a machine 100.

[0052] The latter comprises two lateral arms 110, acting like a clamp and pressing the guide tubes to the outer lateral faces of the existing cart.

[0053] A third arm 120 presses the guide tubes to the inside of the cart and to the bottom.

[0054] A welding robot then attaches the tubes by welding.

[0055] The tubes are positioned and held in place on the lateral arms by appropriate means such as magnets or clamps, for the time required for welding said tubes.

[0056]FIG. 4 schematically represents the welding machine.

[0057] The cart is represented in dot-and-dash lines. 

1. Basket for a self-service store shopping cart comprising a bottom, a front wall, a rear wall and two left and right side walls, with a vertical cross section that, from the front wall to the rear wall, increases along the two main axes, this basket comprising two parts, a fixed rear part and a movable front part, this basket being characterized in that the front part comprises: a lower wall (10) formed essentially of slender elements (10A) extending along the longitudinal axis of the basket, which cooperate via means for translational guidance (11) along the longitudinal axis of the basket with the bottom (5) of the rear part, continuing this lower wall (10) so as to extend in the plane of the front wall (6), a support (12) bearing means for translational guidance (13) along a horizontal axis parallel to the front wall (6), slender elements (14A) forming two lateral sides (14), each parallel to a side wall (8) of the rear part (4A), which have their so-called proximal ends guided in translation with the side wall (8) in question and their other, so-called distal ends bent in the plane of the front wall so as to cooperate with the translational guide means (13) borne by the support (12), thereby forming the front wall.
 2. Basket according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide means (13) borne by the support are constituted by tubes (13) open at both ends, into which the bent parts of the lateral sides are inserted.
 3. Basket according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide means (13) also constitute crosspieces for maintaining the required separation of the slender elements (10A) and giving the basket, particularly its front part, sufficient rigidity.
 4. Basket according to claim 1, characterized in that the axes of the means for guiding the lateral sides and the means for guiding the lower wall are parallel to one another, and are preferably parallel to the bottom.
 5. Basket according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for translationally guiding the two sides and/or the lower wall are also tubes.
 6. Basket according to claim 5, characterized in that the tubes constitute a portion of the structure of the basket.
 7. Basket according to claim 5, characterized in that the tubes are attached to either the inner or the outer face of the front part.
 8. Basket according to claim 1, characterized in that the front part is attached to an existing cart and therefore has means for joining to the structure of the cart.
 9. Basket according to claim 1, characterized in that the support (12) has corner pieces (17).
 10. Basket according to claim 1, characterized in that support that extends the lower wall has on its top edge a rounded surface that extends at least partially along this edge in order to push away the rear wall of another cart during nesting. 